Thread winding machine



H. F. NIOGRET Sept 8, i931.

THREAD WINDING MACHINE.

Filed May 28, 1929 T IZ ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 8, 1931 lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- HENRI FRANQOIS NIOGRET, OF LYON, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO DU PONT RAYON COM- A PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE THREAD WINDING MACHINE Application led May 28, 1929, Serial No. 866,606, and in France June 7, 1928.

This invention relates to a thread winding apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus for winding continuously fed textlle threads on bobbins.

In winding a textile thread on a bobbin in a winding apparatus, it becomes necessary to remove the bobbin when full and replace it with an empty bobbin. It is important that this change or doliing be made in a very short time without any excessive handling. In these machines the textile threads are continuously fed and, unless means are provided to take up the textile threads being fed or stop the feeding thereof whilst the bobbins are being doifed, there will be a large amount of waste.

I have found that I can reduce said waste to a minimum by providing an apparatus comprising in combination a ring twister, a rotatable aild vertically reciprocal spindle carrying a bobbin at one end thereof, and a cylinder or spool mounted on said spmdle and so disposed as to receive the thread when the bobbin is in the raised position. By regulating the rate of delivery of the thread and the s eed of rotation of the bobbin, a twlst may e imparted to the thread. Also by 'regulation of the speed of rotation of the cylinder with respect to the rate of feeding of the textile thread, the movement of the ring twister may be stopped or arrested when the thread is wound on said cylinder.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus wherein the bobbins may lbe quickly doed with a minimum amount of handling and waste.

Another object of this invention is toy provide an apparatus including a ring twister, a bobbin adapted to be raised and lowered and a cylinder operating at the same or greater speed than the means feeding the thread, whereby, when the bobbin is raised for the purpose of doiiing, the thread may be wound on said cylinder and the ring twister stopped.

Additional objects of this invention will appear from the following description, ap pended claims and accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the apparatus constituting this invention, wherein the parts are disclosed in normal winding operation.

Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 with the spindle and bobbin in raised position-just prior to doiiing.

Figure 3 illustrates a modification of the apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like parts, the reference numeral 1 designates a spindle which is suitably mounted on a thread winding machine and adapted to be raised and lowered. The spindle l is also adapted to be rotated in any suitable manner. As shown in the drawings and particularly in Figure 1, rotation thereof is obtained by means of a belt 2 trained over a pulley 3 mounted in driving relation with the spindle 1 and a pulley 4, the latter being mounted on a shaft 5 driven by any means. In order to impart different speeds to the spindle 1 for the reasons which will become apparent, a plurality of differently sized pulleys 3 is provided. It is to-be understood that other means may be provided to rotate the spindle lat different desired speeds. Disposed on one end of the spindle 1 is a bobbin 6. This bobbin is hollow and formed with one end open, as clearly shown in the drawings. Within the interior of the bobbin 6 and loosely mounted in any desired manner on the spindle 1, there is a hollow cylinder 7 adapted to be rotated in any suitable manner. One manner of eifecting rotation of the cylinder 7 is obtained through the pulleys 8 and 9 and the belt 10, the pulley 8 being driven by any suitable driving mechanism. For the sake of simplicity in construction, the pulley 8 may be mounted on the driving shaft 5.

In the operation of the machine the thread T is continuously fed by the means 11. In its passage to the bobbin 6 it first traverses through the ring twister 12, which is carried on a plate 13, having an alternate upward and downward movement, and thence to the bobbin 6. The spindle 1 is rotated at N r. p. In. by the driving mechanism. In normal operation, the thread supplied by the feeding means 11 at a rate V is wound on the bobbin. If the r. p. m. N of the spindle slightly greater than the 1 are such that the peripheral speed of the surface of the bobbin 6 is equal to the rate of feeding V, then the sliding ring remalns stationar However, as the thread is wound on the bo bin 6, the diameter thereof increases. Therefore, the rate of winding increases and the ring twister 12 is turned, whereba slight twistin of the thread is obtained. y regulating t e speeds N and V so that the p eripheral speed of the surface of the bobbln 6 1s higher than the rate of feeding V, the ring twlster 12 will turn from the beginning of the operation and will impart a twist to the thread. The twist imparted to the thread depends on the relative values selected for N and V. Thus, it is possible to obtain any desired twist. l

In order to dof the bobbin when it is completely filled with thread, the spindle 1 is raised a distance indicated by 1. This movement may be made quickly or more or less slowly. The thread is then wound on the cylinder 7 without being broken and without interrupting the continuous supply thereof. The rate of rotation n of the cylinder 7 is such that the peripheral speed of the surface of the cylinder 7 is equal to or feeding rate V of the thread. In the case where the peripheral speed of the cylinder 7 and the feeding rate of the thread are equal, at the moment when the thread passes on the cylinder 7 the ring twister not being led by the thread may stop of its own accord. If the ring twister has any inerita it may continue to rotate for a very short time or it may be stopped by the operator dong the spool. When the peripheral speed of the cylinder 7 slightly exceeds the rate of feeding of the thread, the operator who is dofling the spool stops the ring twister. Thus, it is possible at this moment to withdraw the bobbin 6 and quickly put an empty one in its place. After the change of the bobbin has been made the spindle 1 is lowered and the thread T is wound thereon, there being no break or interruption in the continuous feed of the thread.

The cylinder 7 only receives the thread for a very short time, i. e., a fraction of a minute, that is to say, during the time of replacement of the bo bins. Consequently, it fills very slowly and its winding diameter remains practically the same for a long time. It will, therefore, be sufficient to clear it when the rate of winding becomes noticeably higher than the rate of feeding V and it is found that the ring twister 12 no longer remains stationary. The circumferential speed n of the cylinder 7 is, therefore, made equal to or slightly greater than the rate V. When the apparatus is to give the thread a definite or distinct twist, the spindle 1 must turn independently of the cylinder 7, whereby the speed of rotation of said spindle and cyllnder may be varied to obtain the proper relation necte to each other. In many eases where the twisting is done in a separate a paratus it is not necessary to give the threa an definite twist during the winding thereof. lVhen this is the case, it is advanta eous to drive the spindle 1 and the cylin er 7 by the same mechanism, wherein the r. p. m.s.v N and n will be equal. Figure 3 represents an apparatus for this purpose. It comprises a splndle 1 and a bobbin 6', a hollow cylinder 7 thread feeding means 11', rin twister 12 an a reciprocal plate 13 simi ar to that describe above. The ap aratus illustrated in Figure 3, however, d1 ers from that shown in Ficgure 1 in that the cylinder 7 is condirectly to the spindle 1' by means of a pin 15 sliding in a groove 16 in the spindle 1. This construction permits the spindle 1 to be raised and lowered whilst it is being rotated. The spindle 1 is rotated through a driving mechanism comprising the pulleys 17 and 18 and a belt 19 trained thereover, the pulley 18 being carried on a shaft 20 driven by any suitable means. Due to the fact that the diameter of the bobbin 6 is greater than the diameter of the cylinder 7, the peripheral speed of the bobbin 6 is greater than the peripheral speed of the cylinder 7.

In the following there are set forth examples illustrating the manner of determin- 9 ing the speeds of the various elements during the operation of the apparatus.

Example I A thread is fed continuously at the rate of 40 meters per minute and is to be given a twist of turns per meter without interruption when the bobbins are changed. Assume that the diameter of the cylinder 7 is 2 cm. 'llherefore, in order that the ring twister 12 may remain stationary when the bobbins are dofi'ed` it is necessary to rotate revolutions per minute. Assume that the diameter of the bobbin 6 is 6 cm. rI'herefore, it is necessary that N be equal to 3000 revolutions per minute in order to produce a twist 0f 70 turns per meter.

Example [I 1f the thread is fed at the rate of 100 meters per minute and the apparatus disclosed in Figure 3 is used, then the number of revolutions N (assuming the diameter of the cylinder 7 is 2 cm.) should be equal to Since the cylinder 7 and the spindle l are directly connected, the bobbin 6 will also have this rate of rotation. The number of revolutions of the ring twister (assuming the that is to say, the thread would be given a twist of 10.7 turns per meter.

Various modifications may be made in the l specific details above described without departing from the nature of the invention. I, therefore, do not limit myself to the exact details above described except as defined in the ap nded claims:

claim:

1. In a thread winding,r machine the combination of means to contlnuously feed a textile thread, a ring twister, a rotatable s inldle adapted to be raised and lowered., a obbin mounted on said spindle, a rotatable cylinder mounted on said spindle to receive the thread when the spindle and bobbin are in raised position. v

2. In a thread winding machine the combination of means to continuously feed a textile thread, a ring twister, a rotatable spindle adapted to be raised and lowered, a bobbin mounted on said spindle, a cylinder mounted on said spindle and means to drive said cylinder at a speed which will arrest said ring twister when said spindle and bobbin are raiised and the thread is received by said cyl- 1n er.

3. In a thread winding machine the combination of means to continuously feed a textile thread,`a ring twister, a rotatable spindle ada ted to be raised and lowered, a hollow bob in mounted on said spindle, a cylinder mounted on said s indle and dis osed within said bobbin, said cylinder belng adapted to receive the thread when said spindle and bobbin are in raised position.

4. In a thread winding machinemeans to continuously feed a. textile thread, a ring twister, a rotatable spindle adapted to be raised and lowered, means to rotate said spindle, a bobbin mounted on said spindle', .a cylinder loosely mounted on said spindle t'o receive the thread when the spindle and bobbln are in raised position, and means to roite said cylinder independently of the spin- In a threadwinding machine the combination of means to continuously feed a textile thread, a ring twister, a rotatable spindle ada ted to be raised and lowered, a hollow bob in mounted on said spindle, a cylinder loosely mounted on said spindle and disposed within said bobbin, said cylinder be- 1n adapted to receive the thread when said spmdle and bobbin are in a raised position, and means to rotate said cylinder independently of said spindle.

In testimon whereof, I have aflixed my signature to t is specification.

HENRI FRANCOIS NIOCrRET.r 

